Mission ssion Posada’s mission is to provide housing and supportive services that empower homeless individuals and families in Pueblo County to become self-supporting members of the community.
Wh What at We We Do. Do. • Serve the homeless in Pueblo County • Provide services, shelter, housing and advocacy • Emergency shelter for families, transitional and permanent housing • Temporary medical shelter, information and referrals, benefits acquisition, advocacy, personal care items, phone and message services and onsite shower facilities • Promote self ‐ sufficiency
Homel Homeless ss (undupl (unduplicated ed ) #’ #’s ser served ed • 2013 – 2,444 • 2014 – 3,767 • 2015 – 4,946 • 49% Increase since 2013 • 57% were in Families in 2015
Januar January 1 to to July July 31, 31, 2016 2016 5,486
Pu Pueblo Fir First, t, Com Compassion assion fo for Al All
Po Posada St Statis istics tics (Note that these numbers are self ‐ disclosed and what we feel is an undercount ) In 2014, 236 households relocated to Pueblo for legalized pot. In 2015, 273 households relocated to Pueblo for legalized pot. In 2016, Posada has thus far seen 641 households relocate to Pueblo for legalized pot On 4/20/2015 Posada served 71 new households in 4 hours, ten families with children were seeking emergency shelter, eight families were from out of State This year there was also a bump on 4/20 although not as severe as in 2014 and 2015.
Curr Curren ent Homel Homeless ss Po Population in in Puebl ueblo • In Pueblo more than 1,415 children were identified as being homeless during the school year in 2016 (School District 60 Title X Count) They identify 67 as unaccompanied youth. • Pueblo's poverty rate for children is 30% (CFPI). • Estimates and counts of those outside now (200 ‐ 250 sleeping in the elements.) Over 150 homeless camps • Undocumented Population over 990 households unofficially registered
Chal Challeng nges es in in Pu Pueblo • Over 24,000 people in Pueblo experience food insecurity. • There are beds for less than one percent of Pueblo’s homeless population—current rental vacancy rate 2.1 percent, lowest in the State. • “Pueblo is the poorest BIG county in the State surrounded by all the poorest counties.” Bill Patterson CFO Parkview Hospital • At least 40 percent of Pueblo’s income comes from transfer payments, 67,000 residents receive disability income. Most people Posada sees from other states ‐ have a disability. This number is growing…………………………………………………
Chal Challeng nges es in in Pu Pueblo Cost of Utilities In the first quarter of 2016 Black Hills Energy shut off 2,016 households, one third of those stay permanently disconnected. High Cost of Utilities. “A main reason families don’t qualify for public housing in Pueblo is the inability of a household to put the electric utility in their name.” Pat Rivas, Pueblo Housing Authority Heroin infiltration in Pueblo. Many more addicts living along the river, younger population that tends to move through and conflicts with “local” Pueblo homeless individuals.
Most Most Sig Signific ificant Re Reasons fo for Homel Homeless ss In Incr crease se • Pueblo is on the map! Legalization of Marijuana ‐ Recreational Sales ‐ people also come to find employment in the field • Medicaid Expansion • Perceived housing affordability and job creation in Pueblo, and that 4 ‐ 20 extends to Federal Housing Vouchers and Employment opportunities. “Affordable housing is not available and the new migrants are driving rents up and costing people more to apply for rental housing.” (Larry Williams, Executive Director of Center for Disabilities)
Com Come to to Col Colorado do fo for Po Pot! Com Come to to Pu Pueblo for Affordability ility
Me Medicai caid Expansi Expansion
Re Recent Ag Agency ency Notes Notes 9 ‐ 20 20 ‐ 16 16 Pueblo Community Health Center: Signing up 300 new clients for Medicaid monthly, most are from out of State and most are families with children. Avayne Renner PCHC Outreach Cooperative Care has annually since 2013 seen an increase of 18 percent. Every day they serve over 100 families in a three hour period. Most are from out of State—violent incidents are a daily occurrence. Pueblo Community Soup Kitchen typically served 50 to 75 a day—now the average daily meal feeds 160 people. Eva Matolo, Director –they tell me they come here because pot is legal. We call the police on a daily basis. The Salvation Army has seen a great increase for walk ins and clients calling that say they have just moved in and are in need of basic services such as food, shelter, and gas for their cars. ”Last week I had a women travel from Florida that was one week from giving birth just move into our community. They came with only enough money to get a motel for a week, and had the hopes of finding work. She is now stranded with her boyfriend, a new baby, a toddler and no plan of survival for herself and her family. She is just one of so many that come in with the story "I just moved Here, and I need help, what can you give me. We are seeing a majority of the people from Texas, Illinois, Arkansas, and Missouri.” Rose Mertz, Pueblo Salvation Army Envoy
Re Recent Ag Agency ency Notes Notes 9 ‐ 20 20 ‐ 16 16 The Pueblo Housing Authority has 1,470 Section Eight Vouchers that it administers. There are 500 people on a waiting list and all subsidized housing lists in Pueblo are closed. In 2014 the Agency received 38 applications from out of state residents. In 2015 that number was 452. Rocky Mountain Human Services provides assistance for Veterans and their families in Colorado Springs and in Southeastern Colorado. The Las Animas Mayor had a recent conversation with a case worker and said that for the first time their town has a homeless population. Colorado Springs RMHS workers also report more people camping throughout the City. Staff from Southern Colorado Aids Project said that they continue to work on programs that prevent intravenous drug use. They are seeing more clientele come in from out of State and it tends to be a younger population. Currently they have 400 clients and they are seeing a surge of new cases. There are almost no inpatient beds for substance abuse treatment unless you can private pay and families with youth who have addiction issues with high THC products have to send them out of state for treatment.
Cos Cost to to Communi Community ty Agencies already struggling are now on tap to provide basic needs assistance, shelter and housing help, behavioral health and medical assistance to households who have no ties to Pueblo It will be years before we see the true cost to our community in terms of the social aspects of this experiment.
HOMELESS OUTREACH INFORMATION BRIEF August 2016
Homel Homeless ss enc encoun unters 180 168 Outreach TRENDS: 160 • Drug usage 137 140 • Out of State 126 homeless encounters 120 110 108 • Lack of housing for Homeless 100 (Families) x8 one 88 86 85 82 week 81 80 67 64 63 60 53 51 50 49 47 47 44 43 40 33 32 32 29 28 28 25 24 21 21 19 17 17 15 20 14 14 12 12 12 12 12 11 10 10 8 8 7 6 5 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Homeless New Old encounters Male Female Families Couples Veterans Youth Out of state encounters encounters Column1 Feburary March April May June July August Note: Started gathering homeless outreach data February 20, 2016
NOTICE to VACATE NOTICE to VACATE NOTICE to VACATE
Me Media/New News Link Links http://www.ibtimes.com/marijuana ‐ legalization ‐ colorado ‐ how ‐ recreational ‐ weed ‐ attracting ‐ people ‐ spiking ‐ 2374204 http://www.ibtimes.com/marijuana ‐ legalization ‐ pot ‐ brings ‐ poor ‐ people ‐ colorado ‐ whats ‐ being ‐ done ‐ help ‐ them ‐ 2378769 http://www.cpr.org/news/story/drawn ‐ colorado ‐ marijuana ‐ some ‐ end ‐ homeless http://fortune.com/pot ‐ marijuana ‐ colorado/ https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/oct/19/pueblo ‐ colorado ‐ legal ‐ marijuana ‐ industry ‐ migration http://www.chieftain.com/news/4917671 ‐ 120/pueblo ‐ marijuana ‐ housing ‐ chieftain http://www.chieftain.com/opinion/4506898 ‐ 120/county ‐ indoor ‐ cannabis ‐ gallons
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